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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mug — a face
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. snap — to click
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — of the year
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. season — in sport
  18. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com